Means for concentrating ores anhydrously.



No. 655,496. Patented Aug. 7,1900. s. M. LlssAu. MEANS FOR CONCENTRATING ORES ANHYDRUUSLY.

(Application filed Jan. 5, 1900.)

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No. 655,496. Patented Aug. 7, i900. S. M. LISSAU. MEANS FUR CDNGENTBATING DRES ANHYDRUUSLY.

(Application filed Jan. 5, -1900.)

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UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.'

SAMUEL MARION LISSAU, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR CONCENTRATING ORES ANHYDROUSLY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,496, dated August *7, 1900.

Original application filed April 13, 1898, Serial No. 677,422. Divided and this application filed January 5, 1900. Serial To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MARION LissAU, of Philadelphia, in the State of Penn- Sylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Concentrating Orcs Anhydrously, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The present application is a division of my application, Serial No. 677,422, dated April 13, 1898, and relates to means designed to carry out the process disclosed in said prior application.

My invention is addressed to the elimination of the bulk of the worthless matter from comminuted material, suoli as sand or crushed ore, containing valuable metal. The simplest means hitherto devised for the purpose specified necessitates the use of a large volume of Water as a vehicle to remove the lighter portion of the material treated, and in some instances the action of the water is supplemented by the use of mercury in one form or another to retain the metallic particles by combination therewith. With the ordinary means of concentrating, employing water, as aforesaid, if the raw material to be treated be located in an arid district it must be transported to some locality Where 'a supply of Water may be had, and if the percentage of valuable metal does not warrant the expense of transportation of the accompanying large percentage of Worthless material the raw material cannot be Worked at a profit.

My present invention provides means whereby comminuted ore or sand containing valuable metal may be concentrated by the elimination of the bulk of its worthless particles without the use of any Water Whatever. The advantages of my improvements are evident in their adaptation to mining in arid districts containing ores of such low grade as hitherto could not be mined profitably. For instance, ore containing a very small percentage of flour-gold may be concentrated at the mine at such slight expense as to permit the transportation of the concentrated product and the subsequent profitable recovery of the precious metal therefrom by reduction in a more favorable location.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is (No model.)

an end elevation showing a convenient embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional vieW taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 3 3 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a face View of the discharge-outlet.

In said figures, A is a drum mounted for rotation upon the shaft B, fixed in the standardB. ThedrumAis convenientlyarranged 6o to be rotated by means of the sleeve A and band-Wheel A2, which are in xed relation therewith. Said sleeve A' surrounds the free end of the shaft B and is suitably journaled therewith in the standard B2.

The drum A is provided with an inlet for the material to be treated conveniently located in its face a and Anormally' closed by the door a. Within the drum A a iixed discharge-chute C is so arranged that material 7o dropped thereon gravitates through the spoked outlet A3 to the discharge-hopper O.

The inner periphery of the drum A is provided with win gs a2, which in accordance with the direction of rotation of the drum serve merely to agitato the material contained therein or to pocket` certain portions thereof and deliver the same to the chute C.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The door a.' is opened and a sufcient 8o quantity of raw material X is introduced to the drum A to lill the latter to approximately the level indicated by the dotted line a: a: in Fig. l. The door being closed, the drum A is then rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow upon Fig. l, and in such rotation the wings a2 serve merely to stirthe material X. The effect of the described rotation of the drum is to agitate the mass of material X and permit the heavier particles comprising 9o the valuable material Z to gravitate therethrough, while the lighter Worthless material Y collects at the top of the mass. After such preliminary rotation the drum A is rotated in the opposite direction, as indicated bythe arrow upon Fig. 3, with the result that the wings a2, successively encountering the tailings Y at the point y, as shown in Fig. 3, pocket said worthless material and carry the same through the mass, beneath the valuable roo concentrate Z, and deliver said Worthless material upon the chute C.

The foregoing comprises the operation of my invention, whereby the raw material X received within the drum A has the wort-hless material separated from it and discharged through the 'chute C, outlet A3, and hopper C', so that the concentrated product Z is retained Within the drum A. Of course as the drum continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow upon Fig. 3, the tailings Y diminish in depth toward the concentrate Z, but no portion of the latter can at any time be discharged from the drum until the point y, at which the wings CL3 are filled, coincides with the level of the concentrate. When the level of the concentrate is reached, as aforesaid, the concentrating operation of the apparatus is completed. I-t is obvious, however, that if it is desired to also discharge the concentrate Z subsequent rotation of the drum A in the direction of the arrow upon Fig. 3 will produce that result.

I am aware that the apparatus which I have described resembles in many particulars'the rotary sieves, amalgamatingbarrels, washers, dac., which are well known in this art. It is to be noted, therefore, that my present invention is differentiated from the-disclosuresof the prior art by several peculiar characteristics, as follows: In a rotary sieve the separation of the material is dependent upon the relative size of its composite particles. In my present invention the separation is Wholly dependent upon the relative specific gravity of the particles. Inv an amalgamating-barrel the gold is separated by so-called chemical combination with mercury. In my present invention no such combinationis ef- Q is wholly f fected, but the separating action mechanical'.

In a washer the operation is dependent upon the supply of sufcient current of wa'- ter to ioat and remove the lighter portions of the material treated, and Without such a water-supply the Washer is Wholly inoper'ative. In my present invention no water is employed, the lighter particles being removed mechanically, as described.

I do not desire to limit myself to the emL ployment of the precise construction shown, as it is obvious that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention. f

I claiml.- In an apparatus for anhydrously concentrating comminuted material containing precious metal, the combination of a drum, means for rotating the same, and means within the drum for agitating and stratifying the material during rotation, said means being adapted' by reverse rotation ofV the drum to catch and deliver the material of the upper strata to a discharge-chute, within the drum',

substantially as described. A

2. In an apparatus for anhydrously con centrating comminuted material containing precious met-a1, the combination of a drum,

meansV for rotating the same, a stationary discharge-chute extending within the'd-rum', and i wings ixed within the druml for agitatng' and f stratifying the material du ring'rota-tion, said vwings being adapted by reverse rotation of `the drum to catch and deliver the material 1 ofthe upper strata to a discharge-chutewithin the drum, substantially as described'. A SAMUEL MARION LISSAU.l

Vitnesses:

ARTE-UR E. PAIGE,

E. L. FULLERTON. 

